The fifth season of Lena Dunham's HBO series revolving around four self-absorbed young women in New York City begins with Marnie's (Allison Williams) wedding to her neurotic musical partner (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), an event that is only able to come off thanks to the efforts of Ray (Alex Karpovsky), who is still in love with the narcissistic Marnie, and Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet), who is thriving in her new job in Japan. Hannah (Dunham) has given up writing for teaching and is in her first stable romance with a normal guy (Jack Lacy), while Jessa (Jemima Kirke) struggles with sobriety and her deepening relationship with Adam (Adam Driver), Hannah's ex-boyfriend. Just as interesting is the journey of Hannah's father (Peter Scolari), who came out of the closet in the previous season and starts exploring his sexuality here as a middle-aged man. Where earlier seasons often slipped into caricature when veering into extreme behavior, this one sends the girls on their first steps towards achieving maturity and being responsible. Baby steps, of course, but it's a start and it is satisfying to see Hannah finally return to writing with an honesty she hasn't had the courage to embrace in the past, which makes a promising jumping off point for the current sixth and final season of Girls. Presenting all 10 episodes from 2016, extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes, and deleted and extended scenes. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)
Girls: The Complete Fifth Season
HBO, 2 discs, 300 min, TV-MA, DVD: $24.99, Blu-ray: $34.99 Volume 32, Issue 2
Girls: The Complete Fifth Season
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